Steam Prison

Many friends have been trying to persuade me to play Steam Prison for a long time, but somehow I always gave priority to other games; but finally, I decided to start this…. and I wish I did it earlier, because it was amazing! I admit it, this game exceeded my expectations, which were high to begin with.

I loved the heroine: she’s strong, both physically and mentally, but she’s also innocent in a cute way sometimes; well, she’s only 18 years old.

The plot is tragic and the common route had many violent scenes, but I’m not complaining ‘cause they were well written and explained clearly how difficult was living in the Dephts.

It wasn’t gore or blood without purpose, it was a necessary pain to fully immerse in that underground world.

While the poor heroine was losing everything and falling in despair (Black wolves saga, anyone?), I wondered if someone could ever help her and be a ray of light in that nightmare.

And that’s when Ulrik appeared.

I decided to trust him, so I played his first.

Since there were a lot of common scenes with Eltcreed, at first I didn’t even know which route I was playing; their interactions were so funny, I couldn’t help but laugh at the screen like a crazy person, it was almost embarrassing. It’s been a long time since a otoge made me feel so amused and emotionally attached to the characters, but they both were amazing so they deserve everything.

Ulrik can be rude and distant at times, but it takes just some effort to discover his cute side.

He has never been in love, just like the heroine, so their awkwardness was understandable and sweet; I loved seeing them getting closer and admit their feelings.

His happy ending was nice, but some of his bad endings were so sad, I think they’ll stick in my mind even longer. I love tragedy.

Then I played Eltcreed’s route, because I couldn’t wait any second more: I was crazily attracted by his weird personality and his flirty attitude, I couldn’t resist him at all.

It took me a long time to understand his true self, behind all the masks he was used to wear and show everyday; I was even scared to know if he was hiding something terrible deep in his mind.

I loved everything about him, from his crazy humor to his teasing; I also loved his responsible and sad side, when he was determined to sacrifice himself for the people who relied on him as a leader. He’s a truly great character for various reasons, perfectly written both for fun and serious scenes. He will stay in my heart for a long time.

Adage’s route was kinda sad, since his childhood and life decisions weren’t easy to make; but everyone had issues in this game, I guess that’s why they all developed a weird personality.

I didn’t know if I should trust him at first, but living with him made me sincerely appreciate his job as a doctor and even his blunt attitude. Even if he was making fun of Cyrus for being so innocent, I could feel he cared about her all the time.

This route contains important spoilers about the overall plot, so I highly suggest to avoid playing him first; going for the bodyguard path in the beginning was the best.

Playing Ines seemed too good to be true, in this cruel game where I can’t trust anyone.

He’s such a good person, at some point I was even doubting there was something wrong with him, when he literally risked his life to give Cyrus a chance to redeem herself.

This route also made another miracle possible: I felt some pity towards Sachsen.

I can’t believe it really happened, he acted like an heartless demon, but his past made me see him in a different perspective; it doesn’t condone his actions, obviously, but it changed my opinion a bit. Just a little, little bit.

Another character shocked me for other reasons too, but… I won’t spoil. I wanted to punch him so badly, you can’t even imagine. This route is actually full of spoilers, so think carefully before you start to play it as your first playthrough.

Yune was the character I was looking forward to the most, since he’s some kind of Saint; he’s definitely not the average dude you could date any day.

I was expecting him to be interesting, maybe philosophical or paternalistic, but his real personality was completely different from my expectations for various reasons.

Steam Prison is really a game that will make you doubt of everyone, you’re never safe and nothing is as it seems at first glance.

Yune is very…. unique and different. At first I couldn’t get what he was thinking at all, but after a while I started understanding him and being his servant became enjoyable.

Most of his endings are sad, but I love even bittersweet goodbyes and tragedies, if they are well written like these. The writers did a wonderful job here.

When you’re done with the routes, you’ll be able to unlock a Grand Finale.

I won’t talk about it, but I was really happy to see a satisfying ending for everyone.

I guess it’s obvious, how much I loved this game!

The plot was interesting, deep and well written, the mysteries were unveiled in different routes and I was always curious to discover the whole truth; as I played, I’ve learned that nothing is as it seems and even nice characters can hide something dark and terrible behind a smile.

Cyrus was a great heroine, who always fought for her life and to defend her beliefs, even if she was completely alone; she never stayed quiet, waiting for a prince charming to rescue her, but she was the one deciding her fate. She was positive even in the worst situations and she always tried to survive on her own, without relying on help and just cry about her terrible fate.

The boys were all amazing in different ways, it’s almost impossible to decide who I liked the most.

Maybe I’d go for Eltcreed, because his weird humor made me laugh too many times, but I loved every route.

Steam Prison is a candidate to become my favorite game of 2019, even if it wasn’t released this year.

But who cares? It deserves more attention, because it’s one of the best otoge I’ve ever played in my life and I want more people to give it a chance!